Yu Shao stared at the board in front of him. After a brief moment of thought, he picked up a stone and placed it gently.

Tap!

Seven columns, six rows—press.

“Press?”

Li You’s eyes flickered with surprise at Yu Shao’s move.

The next second, he instinctively gritted his teeth. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he reached into the bowl, grabbed a stone, and snapped it onto the board.

Thirteen columns, three rows—contact.

Seeing the white stone hit the board, Yu Shao immediately responded.

Thirteen columns, four rows—block.

Tap, tap, tap...

Stones rained down like hail, black and white weaving across the board. The crisp sound of stones echoed through the quiet match room.

The atmosphere grew more solemn with each passing moment. Everyone stared intently at the board, unable to look away.

Li You moved again, placing his stone with forceful speed.

Tap!

Ten columns, seven rows—jump to the center.

“White makes a large jump toward the center! Those four stones in the middle are going to start moving—they’re trying to escape and survive!”

At this move, the entire room held its breath. They all realized that after all the quiet testing, the long-suppressed storm was finally about to break loose.

“And the way Li You chooses to escape—he uses a large jump!”

One of the referees took a deep breath, heart pounding.

“Life-and-death is the hardest, most complex, and most unpredictable part of Go!”

“This large jump—subtle, fluid, and indirect—it’s stirring up the most complicated fight of all!”

He couldn’t help but look up at Yu Shao.

“So how will Yu Shao respond to this?”

Life-and-death and territory-building have always been at odds. White had already taken huge territory, so Black needed to build massive potential in the center.

Meanwhile, White would try every means to destroy that framework—break Black’s potential, collapse the shape. One side would have to fall completely.

White had made his move. How would Black answer?

Yu Shao remained still, quietly staring at the board.

After a while, he reached into the bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it down.

Tap!

Sixteen columns, ten rows—shoulder hit.

“He went straight for the shoulder hit!”

Li You clenched his teeth harder. Black’s response was even more aggressive than he’d imagined.

Shoulder hits were famously fierce—once even dismissed as crude if not backed by enough surrounding stones. But Yu Shao used them often. They had become one of his signature techniques.

This shoulder hit wasn’t a direct attack on White’s group, but it crushed White’s right-side influence while subtly threatening the four isolated stones above.

“It’s too early to strike directly. Black doesn’t have enough strength gathered. He’s clearly judged the situation in a flash!”

“This move looks calm, but it’s even more ruthless than a frontal assault. It’s a whole-board strategy—not caught up in temporary gains or losses.”

Li You’s left hand unknowingly clenched tighter.

“Like a beast hiding in the grass—hyper-alert and terrifyingly calm. Even with prey bleeding in front of it, it waits patiently, refusing to pounce until the prey collapses.”

“And when it does—when that moment comes—it’ll strike with lightning speed!”

“Well then…”

“Let’s do this!”

Li You dropped his stone right next to Black’s.

Sixteen columns, nine rows—attachment.

Yu Shao immediately answered.

Tap!

Fifteen columns, ten rows—extend.

Li You followed instantly.

Fifteen columns, nine rows—extend.

Both players fought tooth and nail along the left edge. As stones clashed, the conflict on the board’s right side grew increasingly fierce and intricate.

“Black just blocked upward—what a brutal move!”

Zhuang Weisheng’s expression was grave as he stared at the board. He could feel the ferocity in Black’s play—it was a fight to the death.

Even though Li You had laid down a posture of mutual destruction, Yu Shao didn’t flinch. He struck back harder, leaving no room for retreat.

Then, White’s next stone dropped like a falling star.

Thirteen columns, eight rows—double hane.

“Double hane from 8-dan Li You?”

Everyone in the room froze. When they processed what had just happened, their eyes widened in disbelief.

“Black’s block was a killing move. Faced with that level of aggression, White should have cut, triggering a messy, complicated fight!”

“But instead... Li You backed off?”

White had just postured aggressively—now he played a move that completely contradicted that approach.

All around the world—those watching via computer, TV, or phone—were all at a loss for words.

The stones kept falling. The room remained silent.

Then one of the referees seemed to realize something and gasped.

“No, I was wrong—completely wrong!”

“8-dan Li You hasn’t backed off. He’s ignoring Black’s outside attack—because White is trying to take even more territory!”

Staring at the board, the referee’s mind buzzed.

White had already claimed significant territory in earlier corners. If he now captured the right edge too, his outer influence from all the exchanges would become overwhelming.

“He’s betting everything on surviving this group—there’s no turning back. If he lives, he wins. If he dies, he loses!”

“If Black jumps, White will wedge. If Black leaps, White will snap and capture!”

“Even if White is pressed down on the left edge, he’s already gained corner territory and strengthened the outside—he’s nearly unassailable!”

Not only had the referee seen this—many others finally understood Li You’s intention.

Gasps echoed around the world.

“This is nuts!”

“Who bets everything on life-and-death? It’s just too risky. Li You may be a top-level pro, but life-and-death fights are the hardest part of the game!”

The crowd was shaken. Their scalps tingled.

Everyone thought White would escape—but Li You had instead sacrificed the center, diving deep into enemy lines for one final confrontation.

Go is a game of territory. Corners are gold, sides are silver, the center is worthless—or so they say. The center is hard to handle because it takes so many moves to secure.

But if you’ve built outer strength, then enclosing territory becomes easier—and if your opponent dives in recklessly, they could be wiped out.

Li You’s strategy was crystal clear:

Seize the corners with everything he had. Abandon the center. Let Black build it up—and then use a desperate life-and-death battle to dismantle it!

It was a valid strategy—but pushed to such extremes, it was shocking!

“Like a monster… The courage it takes to pull this off—it’s way beyond me.”

Many felt a chill of awe. The idea of sacrificing an entire area—most would never dare.

Sometimes the gap between people becomes undeniable—so large you’re forced to acknowledge it.

Then, Xiaofei made his move.

Seventeen columns, four rows—atari.

“He actually went for atari?”

Li You stared at the board. His expression shifted—he’d realized something. His eyes trembled.

“It’s not just atari. If I attach and he peeps... then that atari—it carries a ladder trap!”

“Unbelievable…”

He looked up, locking eyes with Yu Shao. His left fist clenched tighter. He took a deep breath and moved.

Tap!

Fourteen columns, five rows—tiger’s mouth.

It was a predictable move—White’s shape was still thin, and after Black’s strong attack, White needed to solidify.

Yu Shao followed up right away.

Tap!

Eleven columns, eleven rows—diagonal move.

“Diagonal? That... diagonal?”

When the stone landed, the crowd collectively shuddered.

Only now did they understand why Yu Shao had played that atari earlier.

“That diagonal aims to devour White’s upper four stones whole!”

“If White blocks, Black jumps. White connects, Black flies. If White then ataris, he tightens his liberties—leaving weaknesses behind!”

“This diagonal complements the earlier atari—they’re a coordinated combo, locking White into a death match!”

“What looked like a slow move now proves its value. That earlier atari—brilliant!”

Silence spread again.

Everyone had assumed the atari was just a quick attack. They never imagined it would shine again—more than ten moves later!

Li You stared at the board, eyes sharp and grim.

Outwardly calm, inwardly turbulent—his left hand clenched tighter, nails digging into his palm.

He’d understood the purpose of that atari early—but it was too late. Now that Yu Shao had linked it with the diagonal move, the pressure was crushing.

In that oppressive silence, Li You moved again.

Tap!

Nine columns, eleven rows—descend.

“He descends—White’s starting to strike back!”

Everyone held their breath. The whole board now roared with tension, every piece like a blade in a storm.

Yu Shao responded immediately.

The two kept playing, stone after stone.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

After more than ten successive moves, Li You suddenly paused, his gaze fixed on the board.

Silence reigned in the match room. Everyone was lost in the game—even Zhuang Weisheng.

The room was so quiet, it was eerie. Not even breathing could be heard.

Clearly, despite his perfect responses early on, White had fallen behind. Black had gained a vast lead.

Li You looked down at the board, heart churning.

“He hasn’t shown a single weakness.”

“Even though he’s building outward, the center’s still empty. It should be easy to maneuver—but it’s not.”

“This is worse than I thought.”

He had assessed the situation—despite having a point lead, if Black’s center territory succeeded, or if White’s central stones were captured, he’d lose instantly.

Li You glanced at Yu Shao.

He knew now—life-and-death alone wouldn’t be enough to take him down. And Yu Shao had made no errors, even while shaping the center.

He needed to act. He still had sente—but once he lost it, there would be no more chances.

“If it were any other player, I’d be confident in turning this around…”

“But he’s not just any player.”

His mind flashed through every move of this game—then every game Yu Shao had ever played.

His expression grew heavier.

“I have to make the strongest life-and-death move possible—or I’ll be finished!”

“He’s airtight. If I want to survive, I can’t play the usual way. I have to strike from the shadows!”

“No hesitation. Find the throat, and go for the kill!”

“I need to find a flaw in this chaos, ride the sente to the limit, and claw my way back!”

“It’s now or never!”

Li You reached into the bowl again. His eyes were sharp, and somehow, the stone felt heavy in his hand.

The next moment—

He focused on the board and slowly placed his move.

“This is it—the final clash. Win or die. Let’s settle this once and for all!”

Tap!

A clear sound echoed through the room.

Seven columns, eight rows—cut.